Movie review : Black Panther

After the events of Captain America: Civil War, King T’Challa returns home to the reclusive, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to serve as his country’s new leader. However, T’Challa soon finds that he is challenged for the throne from factions within his own country. When two foes conspire to destroy Wakanda, the hero known as Black Panther must team up with C.I.A. agent Everett K. Ross and members of the Dora Milaje, Wakandan special forces, to prevent Wakanda from being dragged into a world war

PROS

Great performances by the entire cast, especially Micheal B. Jordan who,in my opinion, was the best character in the film. From the moment he shows up on the screen, you know you are in for a wild ride.

Erik Killmonger: How you think your ancestors got it? You think they paid a fair price?”

King T’Chaka – “ You are a good man, with a good heart. Its hard for a good man to be King.”

T’Challa – “If you weren’t so stubborn, you would be a good queen”

Nakia– “ It is because I am so stubborn that I would be a good queen”

Okoye: “Guns…so primitive”

Shuri – “Don’t scare me like that, colonizer!”

Shuri –“ [about T’challa’s sandals] What are those?! ”

CONCLUSSION

After months and months of anticipation Black Panther is finally upon us. Many, me included, were skeptical whether it would live up to the massive hype that surrounded it. Not only did Black Panther live up to the hype, it turned out to be much better than most critics had expected. The movie has gone on to break numerous records such as being the highest grossing Marvel cinematic universe (MCU) movie in its first week, the biggest opening for an African-American director, highest rated superhero movie of all time (according Rotten Tomatoes movie review website) among many more records it continues to break.

But what makes Black Panther so good? You may ask. Well it is not your every day run-of-the–mill superhero movie, it is much deeper than that. It tackles real life issues such as loyalty, betrayal, and revenge. Black Panther is not your typical save-the-universe-from–impending-doom kind of superhero movie, rather it concentrates on T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and the nation of Wakanda. What worked is not just because it was different in scale than other Marvel or DC super hero movies, but because the stakes were so incredibly personal.

The main thing that pulled people to the cinema is the fact that this is major, big budget superhero movie with an almost entirely black cast helmed by a black director, and set in a fictional African country called Wakanda. The radiant art, costumes, makeup and hairstyles were all inspired by real-world African traditions. The language and accents were on point for all the actors. Hollywood is often criticized for using ‘generic’ African accents in their movies, but in this case they got it right.

Another great thing about Black Panther is the way women are portrayed. They are not simply placed in the movie for their sex appeal or as ‘damsels in distress’, as is the case for many super hero movies. The women of Wakanda are strong, intelligent and powerful, they do not need to be rescued, sustained or lauded by men. They are entrusted with the technological advances and the protection of the nation. Black women are practically the mightiest heroes in the movie. Rarely do we ever witness women, black women for that matter, who are graceful and determined. Even while in love, they are assertive and capable of independent thought. When faced with choosing between their dreams or the love of a man, they simply choose to follow their dreams. Women such as Shuri (Letitia Wright) and General Okoye (Danai Guirira) are scene-stealers. Those are characters one will not soon forget.

Black Panther has arguably the best villain I have ever come across in a superhero movie. Michael B. Jordan’s spellbinding performance as Erik Kilmonger will have you rooting for him to win, knowing full well that he is the bad guy. Killmonger uses the extreme pain from his childhood upbringing as fuel for his vengeful mission. Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger is a multilayer character that one cannot help but get attached to during the course of the film.

Black Panther is movie that everyone needs to watch, preferably multiple times, whether you are a fan of superhero movies or not.

8 COMMENTS

Wow great review .. I totally agree with you Its a movement for black people. Its empowering to both men and especially for us black women. I’ll quote you “They are not simply placed in the movie for their sex appeal or as ‘damsels in distress’, as is the case for many super hero movies. The women of Wakanda are strong, intelligent and powerful, they do not need to be rescued, sustained or lauded by men. They are entrusted with the technological advances and the protection of the nation. Black women are practically the mightiest heroes in the movie.”. . #Wakanda4ever

It really pains me to hear some silly parents saying to their children that this Hollywood movie has given their children heroes..utter nonsense..the reason they do not have heroes is because of your docility; you are too lazy to read about your own heroes you wait for white Hollywood to give you heroes with hidden agenda.
Some are busy dancing outside…utter stupidity…why you never support your own producers than make others more wealthier!!

It’s only a superhero film, but it’s hard enough to get anything from Hollywood that portrays black people well, so I think it is a must see. There are exceptions, but I would love to see things advance to the point where skin colour is no longer an issue for Hollywood. Of course we all know the real heroes are very different to the superhero fantasy, like the men and women in the villagers feeding their families or the students working into the night by oil lamp to pass their exams. But if a film like this can inspire those people just a little bit, it is worthwhile.

There are no words to describe how much I loved this movie. Turns out the combination of the mastermind Kevin Feige with the talented writer/director Ryan Coogler has resulted in not just yet another widely entertaining addition to the MCU, but probably the best one yet. It has the same amount of depth as some of the franchise’s best (Winter Soldier and Civil War), while the way the action sequences are shot and edited is absolutely sensetional. The cast is perfect and the visuals are simply beautiful – as is the soundtrack. This is a quite marvelous movie that will just raise your hype for “Infinity War” and what’s about to come. I really want to watch the movie again but in my city they are not playing it now. So, I have to wait to watch it on some streaming sites like Netflix or…